President Kaljulaid at her meeting with President Hollande: security is built by us together

President Kersti Kaljulaid met yesterday with the Head of State of France, Francois Hollande. The meeting focused on the future of the European Union and its role in global policy, security issues as well as a discussion on cyber security and the choices offered by e-governance.

"France is a very important ally for Estonia. Security is built by us together. The boots of our soldiers march side by side in Mali, previously in the Central African Republic and in the Operation Atalanta fight against piracy. The French are making a considerable contribution to the NATO battalion deployed in Estonia next year," said President Kaljulaid after the meeting.

The security issues of the region were discussed at the meeting and the importance for the performance of Minsk Agreements was emphasised. The heads of state also discussed the future of the European Union and its role in the world as well as trans-Atlantic relations. "Maintaining the uniformity of the European Union is important for both Estonia and France. The European Union will only remain strong if it remains uniform and focuses on the important issues that individual Member States can't tackle alone. This is the case for all matters, whether we're speaking about the migration crisis, environmental issues or energy security. Things that countries can cope with on their own should remain their own business," said the Head of State.

The Head of State of France also showed interest in Estonia's progress in the development of the e-governance and cyber security sphere.

Yesterday, President Kaljulaid also took part in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit, where she introduced the success story of e-Estonia in her address.

"When we started to build up our e-governance at the turn of the century, we didn't simply digitise the current processes; instead, we changed our ways of thinking altogether – we placed people and enterprises in the middle of processes. Without such an approach, we wouldn't have the e-Estonia that we know today," said President Kaljulaid.

The President of the Republic also took part in a round table on security in Europe at Institut Français des Relations Internationales (the French Institute of International Relations).